The rights of minorities in religious government

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Center for Political Science and Thought Academy of Islamic Sciences and Culture

Abstract

One of the goals of the divine prophets, specifically the Prophet of Islam, was the realization of people’s rights and justice. Due to man’s natural virtues and social justice, Islam considers some rights for all individuals, Muslims and non-Muslims. These rights are related to relationships among individuals and government. The establishment of a government by the Prophet in Medina shows that even if he defeated the enemy and the majority obeyed him, he recognized the rights of non-Muslim minority and asked his followers to observe their rights, as well. History shows that minorities lived freely in the Islamic society and were not obliged to accept the new religion. Even, sometimes, they performed doctrinal discussions with the Muslims at the presence of the Prophet. In brief, I will outline minority rights in the light of the Prophet’s conducts.

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